Topic > History and Culture of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

The official language of the United Arab Emirates is Arabic with a Gulf Arabic dialect common with most of the countries surrounding it. 75% of the population follows Islam, and the majority of them are Sunni Muslims, while Shia Muslim minorities have communities in the Dubayy and Al Shariqah regions. In recent years, growing communities of Christians and Hindus have appeared (Crystal, 2016). Their beliefs have shaped their culture to resemble most of the Middle East and have created unique customs and unwritten rules. Most people living in the UAE are very polite and invite strangers into their home to cool off. When you enter a house, take off your shoes and leave them outside. The left hand is unclean in the UAE and you will not eat, touch or present gifts with that hand (Customs and behaviors in Muslim Countries, 2016). One of the UAE's top priorities is to protect this Muslim culture, which is why they maintain a state-of-the-art army